


And Peggy

by allonsy_gabriel



Series: The Other 51 [23]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda, Hamilton - Miranda (Broadway Cast) RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Angelica is Scary, Anti-Donald Trump, Badass Eliza, Eliza is a saint, Eliza is the Mom Friend, Everyone Fights Alex, F/F, Genderfluid Character, Hamilton References, Hurricane Alexander, Laf is Also the Mom Friend, Lin is a Fanboy, M/M, Peggy is Bitter, The Schuyler Sisters, Twitter, Warning: Donald Trump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-11-17 05:08:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11268570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allonsy_gabriel/pseuds/allonsy_gabriel
Summary: And Peggy? Peggy was just… Peggy. She wasn't an old soul or whatever it was called, and she was fine with that. Really. She was totally okay with it. She wasn’t at all bitter that Angie and Libby had this sort of special connection. It was okay that they had inside jokes and secret references that Peggy didn't and would never get. It wasn’t a problem. She was fine, damn it.





	And Peggy

**Author's Note:**

> Here it is, the Monster. As always, a massive thank you to the Deity that is Sanna_Black_Slytherin for Saving Me on a daily basis.

“Margaret Liana Scott, wake the hell up.”

“Fuck off, Ange,” Peggy mumbled into her pillow.

“I'm leaving in twenty minutes, and if you aren't with me, you’re going to have to take the subway,” Angelica said, poking her little sister’s leg.

Peggy shot up like a rocket. “I'm up! I'm up!” she insisted.

“Good. I lied. It's only 6:30.”

Peggy threw her pillow at Angelica. “I'm telling Libby on you,” she mumbled.

“I'm sure you will. Now c'mon. Our dearest Libby is making eggs,” Angelica said. Peggy huffed, rolling her eyes before shoving her glasses onto her face.

A few years ago, Angelica had a Revelation or whatever. She was, apparently, Angelica Schuyler, some genius badass from the 1700s. Peggy thought that it was fitting. 

Libby had known as long as Peggy could remember. She was Angelica’s sister Elizabeth, who had been married to the guy on the ten dollar bill.

And Peggy? Peggy was just… Peggy. She wasn't an old soul or whatever it was called, and she was fine with that. Really. She was totally okay with it. She wasn’t at all bitter that Angie and Libby had this sort of special connection. It was okay that they had inside jokes and secret references that Peggy didn't and would never get. It wasn’t a problem. She was  _ fine _ , damn it.

“If you losers eat all the eggs, I'm going to revolt!” she yelled as she quickly pulled on her yellow t-shirt dress and pulled her hair back with a scrunchie. A pair of floral pattern converse later and she was running down stairs.

“Like we would do something like that,” Libby said, rolling her eyes from her spot in front of the stove.

“ _ You  _ wouldn't. You're a literal saint. Angie, however…” Peggy said.

“Is giving you a ride to school, so check your attitude,” Angelica scowled as she tied her hair up into a bun.

Peggy huffed and sat down at the kitchen table. “Mom and Dad are getting back tonight, right?” she asked.

“Yup. Why? Is our house not up to your standards?” Libby teased.

“It is,” Peggy reassured her, “But I'd prefer to be able to walk into a room and know that I'm not going to see you making out with your girlfriend.”

Libby turned dark red. “Shush,” she muttered, scooping up some eggs and putting them on a plate. “Come get your breakfast, jerk.”

Peggy kissed her sister’s cheek as she snatched her eggs. “I looooove yoooooou.”

“ _ Uh huh _ . Sure.”

“Stop bickering. Peggy, do you have your homework done?” Angelica asked.

“Who do you take me for?” Peggy asked, faux offended.

“Peggy Scott, notorious homework skipper,” Libby said, poking Peggy’s side, who jerked away.

“Stop it! You know I'm ticklish,” she whined.

“That's the point, little…” Angelica trailed off, raising an eyebrow. She knew better than to assume what gender Peggy was feeling on any particular day.

“Sister,” Peggy said, shoveling eggs into her mouth.

Libby swatted her with the spatula. “Don't talk with your mouth full.”

Peggy stuck her tongue out at her.

“I swear, it's like I'm a mom all over again,” Libby muttered, rolling her eyes.

“Except your eight were less of a handful than this one,” Angelica replied, gesturing at Peggy. The two snickered, and Peggy resisted the urge to pout.

Because she  _ wasn't  _ jealous. Right.

All of the sudden, her phone beeped with a message from someone whom Peggy had dubbed “my smol son”. It said, ‘we still good for coffee this morning?’

“ _ Shit _ ,” Peggy swore, scrambling to eat the rest of her eggs.

“What's up?” Angelica asked.

“I forgot I'm getting coffee with James and Parker!” she said, “I've gotta  _ go _ !”

“It's only seven,” Angelica pointed out.

Peggy grabbed her bag and slipped on her jacket, and said, “Yeah. Parker has a StuCo meeting at 7:45. I'm heading out! I've got money, don't worry. See you nerds later!”

She rushed out of the apartment, only to poke her head back in a minute later and yell, “Love you!” Then she was off.

OoOoO

The subway ride sucked, but it always sucked. Some dick tried to touch her hair. She hit him with her bag.

OoOoO

She got to Starbucks at 7:20. Parker and James were already sipping their coffees--well,  _ James _ was drinking coffee, at least, while Parker ordered some weird-ass fancy tea--in a back corner booth, a napkin of pastries in front of them.

“Look who decided to show up,” Parker said as Peggy headed to the counter.

“Shut up or I'm revoking my permission for you to date my son,” Peggy shot back. A moment later, she had her massive caramel latte in hand as she slid into the booth.

“I knew Jemmy first!” Parker whined.

“I adopted him, plus I'm older. Suck it, child,” Peggy said.

Parker pouted and took a drink of tea.

“We should go to Aaron’s place next time,” James said, drinking his coffee.

“Who's Aaron?” Peggy asked.

Parker and James exchanged a Look. “He’s… an old friend,” James finally said.

“You guys are 15. You don't have any old friends,” Peggy pointed out.

Parker snorted. “Trust me, an old friend is the right term.”

Peggy narrowed her eyes. “Fine. Be cryptic. I don't care,” she said flippantly. Parker rolled his eyes at her. “Between you two and Angie and Libby, it's a miracle I know anything.”

“What are Angelica and Libby doing?” James asked. He and Parker always seemed interested in Peggy’s sisters, so much so that, had they not both been  _ very _ gay and  _ very  _ dating, Peggy would've thought they had crushes.

“Same old same old. Today, Ange said I was worse than Libby’s eight now dead children,” Peggy complained. Parker grimaced.

“Ouch.”

“I know, right? It's fucking rude!” Peggy said.

The three friends continued talking until Parker realized he was going to be late for his meeting.

“Shit  _ shit shit _ ass motherfucker,” he mumbled as he gathered his things.

James helped him get his satchel--Parker steadily refused to call it a purse--and said, “Just tell them that traffic was bad.”

Parker glared at his boyfriend. “Jemmy, this is New York City. Traffic is  _ always  _ bad.”

“Touché,” James deadpanned. He stretched up to peck Parker’s lips. “Go on, then. You wouldn’t want to be even more late, would you?” he teased.

Parker left, swearing under his breath as he went.

“So. How are things going in James-land?” Peggy asked, scooting next to James.

“Pretty well, actually. Dad’s been at work a lot, lately, so I've got the house to myself. It's cool. Parker comes over a lot.”

“Ooooh, James is getting some! My baby, all grown up,” Peggy said, ruffling James’ hair--there was more to ruffle, now. Parker had managed to convince him to grow it out.

“One, no. Two, I'm only a year younger than you, Peggy,” James replied.

“You're still my son.”

“Whatever.”

Peggy ruffled his hair again.

At least she had James and Parker. Sure, she was the third wheel everywhere she went, but Peggy had always loved tricycles.

OoOoO

Parker wasn't the only one running late that morning.

“Fuck it all to hell,” Peggy swore, running at full speed to 11th grade English, a class which had started seven minutes ago. Mr Quintin was going to  _ kill her _ . He was downright vicious when it came to tardiness.

She let out another expletive when, in that hurry, her mind already ahead of her by miles, she missed a step and crashed into the stairs, scraping her knee in the process.

She was leaning against a wall for a moment, regaining her balance, when someone asked, “What are you doing in the halls?”

Peggy blinked a couple of times, looking up at the teacher. “Uh, I'm going to the nurse. Mr. Quinton doesn't have any band-aids, and my knee is pretty torn up, ma'am,” she said, hoping this teacher hadn't just seen her fall down the stairs.

The teacher didn’t look convinced. “Do you have a pass?”

Peggy bit her tongue. “We were mostly concerned about keeping me from bleeding all over the place, miss. He didn't think to give me one,” she lied. smoothly.

The teacher’s stance shifted. “Be that as it may,” she began, “that is no excuse for…”

As the teacher went on, images flashed, unbidden, behind Peggy’s eyes -- the cries of an abandoned baby -- two men wearing red uniforms -- lies that sounded brave and confident but were spoken through shaky breaths-- and terror. Sweeping and all-encompassing terror. An ax flying at her head as she ran upstairs-- wait,  _ what _ .

Peggy shook her head to dispel the images. What  _ was _ that?

The teacher was still talking. Peggy looked up at her. “I didn’t quite hear what you said,” she said, conveying as much honesty as she could.

Mistaking Peggy’s attention lapse for a concussion, the teacher’s frown shifted to a softer expression. “I’ll bring this up with Mr. Quinton later. In the meantime…” she fumbled in her pockets, eventually taking out a pen and a small checkbook. She squinted down at Peggy. “What’s your name again, miss?”

“Margaret Scott,” Peggy rattled off her information quickly before her teacher changed her mind.

“Miss Scott,” the teacher hummed. She ripped out the pass and handed it to Peggy. “Straight to the nurse, you hear me?” she said sternly.

“Yes, ma’am,” Peggy nodded, still in a state of disbelief that the teacher would actually give her a pass without checking her story. Oh well. Peggy wasn’t about to complain.

The teacher stood still for another moment, practically exuding awkwardness, before abruptly turning on her heels and leaving.

Peggy herself let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Her mind wandered to those images again, so sharp and clear that they made her stomach roll. Peggy ignored it.

She did, however, go to the nurse. Her knee  _ was _ bleeding, and Quinton never did have bandages.

OoOoO

The day continued. Peggy managed to stay awake through Algebra II, wrote some bad poetry in language arts, and put a few final touches on her painting in art.

As she went through the motions, more and more images--visions? memories?--floated to the forefront of her mind. By lunch, she'd gotten in trouble seven times for zoning out in class.

Whatever these things were, they were being royal pains in the ass.

She told Parker and James about it at lunch, and the two freshmen shared a look.

“What's with the faces?” Peggy asked.

Parker’s eyes widened. “What faces? We-we weren't doing faces. What are faces? I've never seen a face before in my life,” he rambled. James swatted him in the back of the head.

Peggy narrowed her eyes. “What's going on? What aren't you guys telling me?” she asked.

“It's nothing,” James said, “Don't worry.”

“Yeah!” Parker said, “Listen to Jemmy. Don't worry. No worrying.”

“Well now I  _ am  _ worried, so thanks a lot,” Peggy rolled her eyes.

“Seriously, never mind,” James said. “Either it will work out, or…”

“Or?” Peggy prompted when James trailed off.

James shook his head. “Or nothing. It  _ will _ work out, I promise,” he attempted a smile. It wasn't exactly encouraging. Peggy told him as much.

“Well, do we look like your therapists?” Parker huffed.

Peggy pretended to think. “No, you'd make _ lousy _ therapists,” she told him. “Especially since you didn't ask me about my knee.”

Parker frowned. “Yeah. What's up with that?”

Peggy grinned. “Okay. Buckle in, kiddos,” she began, ignoring two matching groans. “I've got a story to tell.”

As she regaled them with the story of her unfortunate encounter with the stairs, along with the somewhat more fortunate encounter with the teacher, Peggy paid closer attention to the two. She hadn't missed the way Parker had smoothly changed the subject, but, despite wanting to find out what it was exactly Parker and James were hiding, something was telling her that this was as much as she would get out of them for now.

She started as the five-minute bell rang. She finished her sandwich at a speed that made James’ eyes widen, then, with one last reminder to please not fall down the stairs because she was the only one who could pull something like that off and get away unscathed, she was off to Spanish.

OoOoO

Peggy flopped down on her bed the moment she got home and buried her face in a pillow.

“You okay, little sister?” Libby called from the kitchen. Peggy just groaned. A moment later Libby was at her side, holding a Gatorade and two headache pills.

“My head has hurt all day, and I keep having these weird flashes or something. They’re just, like, pictures or feelings that pop up in my brain,” Peggy explained, tossing back the ibuprofen and washing it down.

She didn’t notice Libby’s small smile.

“Don’t worry, Pegs. I’m positive it’ll turn out just fine,” Libby said, running a hand through Peggy’s hair.

Peggy scowled but leaned into the touch. “You’re positive about  _ everything _ . It’s crazy,” she mumbled.

Libby sighed. “Not everything. I’ve just… I’ve spent  _ so much _ time being sad, so much time being angry and bitter, and then I realized that, in the end, my anger and my indignation didn't change anything. There was no use being hung up on the past. You can remember it, yes, and learn from it, but you need to keep looking forward. Otherwise, you get stuck, and that's a really bad place to be in. There’s no point in being negative. It never helps. I guess I just realized that,” she explained.

“You sound like an old lady,” Peggy teased after a moment of solemn silence.

Libby smiled. “I kind of am, Pegs,” she pointed out gently. A moment later, her smile turned into something akin to a smirk as she pounced on her sister, ruthlessly tickling her sides. “But I’m not too old to do this!” she laughed.

Peggy squealed and kicked, trying to get away, but she was trapped, giggling like some Joker-Lord Voldemort love child. “Libby!” she shrieked, “Libby! Elizabeth! Lemme go!”

“Hmm… I don’t think I should…” Libby muttered.

“Please! Mercy! Please!” Peggy begged, tears leaking down her face.

“Well, I suppose,” Libby relented, withdrawing from her attack. Peggy’s laughing turned into coughs as she tried to sit up, her face red as a cherry.

“I take it back,” she gasped, “You’re no saint. You’re evil! Evil, I say!”

Libby laughed and kissed her sister’s cheek. “I’ll remember that when I’m picking up your dinner,” she said. The look on Peggy’s face was one of pure terror. “I’m kidding.”

“Jerk,” Peggy muttered, flopping back on her bed. Libby laid down beside her. “Is Clea coming over tonight?” she asked.

Clea was Libby’s girlfriend of two years, and as different from Libby as the day was from the night. Where Libby was simple and quiet, Clea was the most extra person Peggy knew, and she hung out with Parker every day. Clea had bright pink hair and wore leather jackets with way more zips than necessary. Libby stuck to soft sweaters and practical sneakers. Clea was a loud graphic design major, and Libby was getting her degree in Early Childhood and kept to herself.

Ange liked to joke that Libby had a type, and that type was ‘brash and lacking impulse control’.

Yet another thing Peggy didn’t understand.

Except, now as she thought about it, a thought came to the front of Peggy’s mind of a man with fiery red hair who stood barely stood taller than herself. He was  _ definitely  _ brash and  _ definitely  _ lacked impulse control, and was somehow connected to Libby.

Peggy shook her head to clear her mind. She’d completely missed Libby’s reply.

“Huh?” she asked.

Libby rolled her eyes. “You ask a question and then you don’t even listen to the answer. Yes, she’s coming over.”

“Shut up. Are you guys going to end up making out on the couch again? Because if you are, warn me beforehand. My poor asexual eyes don’t need that,” Peggy whined.

“Mom and Dad will be here to pick you up right after dinner, Pegs.”

“So that’s a yes.”

At least Libby had the decency to look ashamed. “Yes.”

Peggy hit her sister with a pillow. “Shameless. Absolutely shameless. My poor, innocent, virgin eyes,” she said, covering said virgin eyes, “So young and pure, only to be ruined by my sister’s lack of self-control.”

“Usually it's Clea’s lack of self-control, actually. And you don’t even have to see it! Just stay out of the living room!” Libby argued.

“Pft! Why don’t you two just go to your room?”

“There’s no TV in there!” Libby said.

Peggy groaned. “Heathens.”

“Get over yourself, drama queen,” Libby said, shoving her shoulder. Peggy responded by flipping her sister the bird. Libby just laughed. “I’m going to go pick up dinner. Don’t die while I’m gone. If Angie gets home before me, tell her where I am, okay?” she said, getting off the bed and heading for the door.

“Okay, mom.”

“Don’t open the door to strangers!”

“Okay mom!” Peggy shouted back. She grabbed her favorite stuffed owl (sixteen was  _ not _ too old for stuffed animals, no matter what Parker said; Parker was a liar anyway, James had told her about his stuffed frog) and closed her eyes. Her headache was coming back at full force, and nothing sounded better than a nap.

OoOoO

She dreamed of a war that was fought practically in her backyard. She dreamed of a marriage that no one approved of. She dreamed of entire crowds of men being taken in by her charms and her wit; she dreamed of confiding in this red-haired man -- Libby's boyfriend? No, that wasn't quite it -- that she didn't quite  _ want _ any of their attention, but that she was expected to want it. She wasn't enchanted by the flattery of this intense and fervent man, though not for his lack of trying. She remembered a sickness that lasted two years and that brought nothing but tears. She remembered slowly fading away, becoming Less, until there was nothing left. Darkness -- all-consuming darkness.

She woke up with tears in her eyes. At first, she didn’t know where she was, but gradually, it all came back to her -- her sisters, Ange and Libby ( _ Angelica and Eliza _ , her mind corrected) -- school--Parker and Jemmy (they seemed vaguely familiar from before, though she couldn’t place them specifically) -- Libby saying she was going to pick up dinner.

Dinner? Was Libby back? Had she heard her sobs? Peggy got up, still hugging her owl --  _ not a teddy bear, dammit  _ (teddy bears, named after Theodore freaking Roosevelt, who  _ younger  _ than  _ Peggy _ , Jesus Christ and all the saints), and unlocked the door to her bedroom (when had she locked it? She  _ didn’t recall _ locking it).

“Libby?” she called out, half-dreading Libby’s voice, and half-hoping that her sister would be back because Peggy didn’t want to have to deal with this alone, especially now that so many things suddenly began  _ making sense _ .

“Yes?” Libby replied from downstairs. “I heard crying, but you locked your bedroom. Are you okay, little sis?”

In that moment, it was as if Peggy lost all control over herself. She dashed down the stairs and into her sister’s arms.

“Whoa there, what’s this?” Libby asked, running her fingers through Peggy’s hair. Peggy just squeezed her tighter and cried.

“I had-- I mean, there were-- I was sleeping,” Peggy finally said. “And I dreamt of things. Great things--horrible things--I don’t know what that was. Libby,” she said with tears in her eyes, “I don’t know what’s  _ real _ .”

Libby pulled her closer. “Oh,  _ Peggy _ ,” she said quietly, guiding her sister to the couch. She sat down, patting the spot next to her. “I always sort of figured this would happen. I guess I just didn’t expect it to happen  _ so soon _ . It’s okay, little sister,” she said.

“What’s happening? There’s  _ so much _ , Libby--ELiza? I just--I don’t know,” Peggy sighed. She looked up at her sister. “Is that what you went through?”

Libby didn’t meet her eyes.

“Libby,  _ please _ .”

Elizabeth sighed and dragged a hand down her face. “I’m not sure. It’s different for everyone. I… I’ve always remembered. There’s never really been a time I didn’t know, so I never had to reconcile two different people. They always coexisted, and Libby,” she smiled, “is simply an extension of Eliza.”

“This is crazy!” Peggy said, rubbing her temples, “I had a husband! And a  _ kid _ ! I was a  _ mom _ !”

Libby laughed and ruffled Peggy’s hair. “Yup. It was like you were a mature adult or something,” she teased. “That’s how you know it was a dream.”

“Can you not mock me in my time of emotional distress?” Peggy grumbled.

Libby simply laughed again. The two sisters sat in silence for another moment. “If we ever meet Alexander again, I’m going to shove my foot so far up his ass he’ll be picking my toes out of his teeth,” Peggy finally said.

Libby grinned. “Maybe don’t resort to violence first thing?” she suggested. “ I’ve forgiven him for the Reynolds affair. Though thanks for being willing to defend my honor.”

“But it’s not only that!” Peggy protested. “He left you  _ alone _ , with seven children.  _ Seven _ .”

“Peggy. It’s okay. It’s the past,” Libby reassured.

Another moment of quiet.

“I died.”

“I know.”

“Like, I literally  _ died _ . And now I’m alive. Like Jesus.”

“I know.”

“Wild,” Peggy said.

Libby smiled. “It is, isn’t it?”

“And I’ve still got you and Ange! It’s crazy! Like, we weren’t even born into the same family, and yet we’re still sisters!” Peggy gushed, “We’re so lucky.”

“We are, aren’t we?”

“Libby! Pegs! I’m home! Peggy, if you ate all the lo mein again, I swear--” Angie said as she opened the door, but stopped when she saw the scene before her. “What happened? What’s going on? Why is Peggy crying? Who was it?”

“Who was what?” Peggy asked, unable to stop the massive smile that appeared on her face.

“Who hurt you?” Angelica asked seriously.

“It was no one, Ange, I swear,” Peggy said, laughing as her sister sat down on her other side.

“If you’re lying--” Ange warned.

“Angelica. I promise. The only person you need to fight is Alexander and possibly Aaron Burr and if that does happen  _ invite me _ because I’ll help,” Peggy rambled.

Angelica look even more concerned. “Libby? What’s going on?” she asked.

“Peggy remembered,” Libby said seriously.

Angelica didn’t speak for a long moment. “Are you serious?”

“Dead serious,” Peggy said with a grin. “Get it? Because I was, like, dead.”

“We were  _ all _ dead, Pegs,” Libby sighed again.

Peggy’s eyebrows scrunched together as if the idea had just crossed her mind. Libby had died. Ange had died. Her sisters had died and were long buried.

She sighed. “I just wish--”

“Yes?” Ange said when Peggy didn’t continue.

“I just wish that I had been there for you. That I hadn’t died so goddamn early,” she clenched her fists unconsciously. Libby grabbed one of Peggy’s palms and began massaging it. “That I hadn’t been so  _ weak _ .”

“Peggy, you weren’t weak!” Libby protested immediately. “You can’t escape death. Believe me, Alexander tried,” she scowled. “He was always so obsessed with his legacy. What  _ is _ a legacy?” she muttered, mostly to herself. “How is it a goal worth pursuing to the detriment of everything else in one’s life? Of one’s  _ family _ ?”

“Alexander was a dick. Sorry,” Peggy said with a shrug, wiping away tears she wasn’t aware she had shed. “And I’m sorry for leaving you guys. I-I know that probably hurt, and I’m  _ sorry _ .”

“Shhh, Pegs,” Ange murmured, grabbing her other hand. “It’s okay. There’s nothing to forgive because you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“But--”

“No,” Libby said sternly, in the tone Peggy remembered her using to scold her children, “No buts. You have  _ absolutely nothing _ to be sorry for. You can’t  _ avoid _ death.And it turned out okay, didn’t it? We’re all here together now, aren’t we?”

“Yeah,” Peggy said, smiling despite herself. “I guess.”

Angelica nodded and pulled both her sisters into a hug. “The Schuyler Sisters.”

“The Scott Sisters, Ange,” Libby reminded her.

“Ange, Libby, and Peggy,” Peggy said, her voice muffled from the middle of the group hug, “Also I’m suffocating under here help.”

The older girls immediately unwrapped themselves from Peggy.

“Feel better, little sister?” Ange asked.

“Much better. I love you losers,” Peggy replied.

“We love you too,” Libby said. The three sisters curled up on the couch (that is, until Clea arrived, at which point Libby chose to go make out with her girlfriend; Peggy and Ange shared looks of mutual disgust).

OoOoO

The next day Peggy slid into the cafeteria and almost toppled over James and Parker. “What’s up, bitches?” they asked--because it was most definitely a  _ they  _ day--as they slung their arms around their friends’ shoulders.

“Could you maybe not call us that?” James asked.

“Nope!” Peggy said, “Now sit down, children, I’ve got some News.”

“Why can I  _ hear _ the uppercase?” Parker asked, rolling his eyes.

Peggy grinned. “Talent. Now shut up.”

Once they had their friends’ attention, Peggy said, “I’m a reincarnate.”

Parker and James smiled at each other before Parker said, “You owe me $10.”

“You guys  _ bet _ on this?” Peggy asked.

At least James had the decency to look ashamed. “Maybe…”

“You two are dicks. Anyway, Peggy Schuyler, at your service.”

“And another $10!” Parker said. James sighed.

“Can I not just pay for our next date?” he asked.

“Fine. But I’m expecting something nice!” Parker said.

“I’m fifteen, jobless, carless, and the child of a single father who works at Dairy Queen. You’ll be happy with the Thai place down the street from my house,” James responded.

“Why were you two betting on all this?” Peggy asked.

Parker shrugged. “Your sisters are Angelica and Eliza. It seemed natural. James thought it’d be too much of a coincidence, but our whole lives are just one coincidence after another at this point, so I thought ‘fuck it’,” he explained.

Peggy narrowed their eyes. “I’m missing something,” they said, “There’s something you two haven’t told me. What’s up?”

“Oh,” James said, “Shit. Yeah, sorry. Uh, we’re reincarnates, too.”

“And you idiots never thought to,  _ I dunno _ , tell me?” Peggy asked.

“It’s… It’s complicated,” James said, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand and wrapping his other arm around Parker’s waist.

“I’ve got all the time in the world,” Peggy said, crossing their arms.

James sighed and pulled Parker closer to himself. “You want me to explain, or do you got it?” he whispered.

Parker mumbled, “You.” Peggy was already on red alert. This was  _ not _ normal Parker behavior. This abrupt change in demeanor had Peggy on edge.

“What’s wrong?” they asked.

James sighed again. “I used to be James Madison, and Parker… Parker was Thomas Jefferson,” he said quietly.

Peggy missed Parker’s flinch. “Oh my  _ god _ ! That’s--that’s crazy! Wow! You were president! You were both presidents! That’s insane!” they said, practically bouncing in excitement, “James Madison and Thomas Jefferson! Holy  _ shit _ !” 

“Peggy!” James barked, “Shut  _ up _ , please!”

Peggy then noticed Parker, whose eyes were squeezed shut and was shaking in James’ arms.

“What’s wrong?” they asked again, tilting their head to one side.

“Parker isn’t… He doesn’t like reminders of the past,” James explained.

“But why…?” Peggy asked before it dawned on her. “Oh. Yeah. Fuck.”

“Precisely,” James said. He had Parker in a tight hug and was combing his fingers through the other boy’s hair.

“Damn, Parks. I--I don’t know what to say,” Peggy muttered.

“Nothing. Don’t-don’t say anything,” Parker whispered, exhaling through his nose and shaking his head.

“Okay,” Peggy replied. There was a lull in the conversation before they began again. “If I ever meet Hamilton I’m going to bitch slap him into his next fucking life I swear to God.”

That made Parker laugh, so Peggy gave themself a mental high five.

“Guess we shouldn’t tell you about Alex then,” James said.

“ _ WHAT _ ?!” Peggy screeched.

Now Jame and Parker were both laughing. “Yeah,” Parker said, withdrawing himself from James’ grasp, but still clinging to the other boy’s hand. “He’s back. Still a  _ massive _ pain in the ass. I dunno how Jon deals with him.”

“You’re  _ kidding _ ,” Peggy said disbelievingly. “It’s just not possible. Literally. This kind of shit doesn’t happen outside of Hollywood.”

“Well... Like I said, one coincidence after another,” Parker said.

“Oh my  _ god _ . I have to tell Libby! I have to tell Ange! We-we’re going to open some serious Scott Sibling whoop ass on him, just you wait!” Peggy said, pulling out their phone and going into their group chat.

_ Captain Peg Leg: _

**oh my gOD guess the fuck what**

**MONSIEUR SHITHEAD IS BACK TOO**

**HE’S FRIENDS WITH PARKER AND JAMES**

**JAMES AND PARKER ARE REINCARNATIONS TOO**

**JAMES IS MOTHERFUCKING JAMES MADISON AND PARKER IS MOTHERFUCKING THOMAS JEFFERSON except don’t bring it up he Doesn’t Like It**

**like**

**At All**

**I don’t blame him**

**ANYWAY**

**FORM THE HIT TEAM**

**ANGE. GET CLEA. THE LIBBY PROTECTION SQUAD MUST A S S E M B L E.**

_ Ma’am Yes Ma’am: _

**I’m at work???? Please stop???**

**Wait.**

**Are you** **_fucking_ ** **serious?**

_ Captain Peg Leg: _

**of course???**

**this is Serious Business???**

_ Ma’am Yes Ma'am: _

**oh my god.**

**I’ll get clea**

**fuck**

_ Libbamon Bun: _

**oh no**

Peggy put away her phone and looked at Parker and James. “I need you to take me and my sisters to meet Alexander after school. Libby’s girlfriend is coming, too,” they said.

“What, really?” Parker asked, furrowing his eyebrows together.

“Yes!” Peggy insisted.

“You remembered who you were, what, 18 hours ago? And you’re already going on some revenge quest?” James questioned.

“Obviously.”

“Oh my god,” Parker said, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Is there any chance we can talk you out of this?”

“Nope. See you nerds after school!” Peggy said as the lunch bell rang and they ran off to their next class.

James and Parker shared a Look. “This is going to be  _ so _ much fun,” James said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Parker sighed and nodded before heading off to class.

OoOoO

“Are you sure about this, Pegs?” Ange asked. She, along with her siblings, Clea, Parker, and James, was standing outside a little coffee shop just outside the NYU campus. It was small and brightly colored, with a worn out sign over the door that read ‘Cool Beans’.

“Of course I’m sure!” Peggy replied.

“Please let him talk before you punch him,” Libby asked, squeezing Clea’s hand a bit harder than necessary.

“Lib, babe, you’re cutting off, like, all the circulation to my hand,” Clea muttered.

“Oh. Sorry,” Libby whispered back.

Parker had a semi-nauseous look on his face. “This… I have multiple bad feelings about this,” he said.

James nodded in agreement. “This is so far from a good idea, I can’t even begin to describe it.”

“Okay, I promise not to deck him until he’s said something,” Peggy said, rolling their eyes.

“I think that’s as good as your getting out of them,” Ange said to Parker and James. Peggy had noticed her sister’s wariness around the two--especially Parker--since she’d learned their pasts, but thankfully Angie hadn’t brought it up. Clea, on the other hand, had almost steamrolled them over with questions until James had given her a sharp look and gestured to Parker’s not-so-mild state of panic.

“Well then, let’s get this over with,” James said, opening the door to Cool Beans. The only people in the shop were a group of somewhat raggedy looking college kids in the far back corner booth, and an employee who was standing over them with an exasperated look on his face.

“I still think this is a bad idea,” the employee said to one of the kids, a Latino guy with long hair tied up in a bun.

“You think everything I do is a bad idea, Aaron, and that’s because you’re a huge stick in the mud,” the guy told him in exasperation, rolling his eyes.

The employee, Aaron, rubbed a hand across his face, saying, “Yes, but this idea is  _ particularly worse _ \--”

“Daniel?” Parker cut Aaron--or Daniel? Who knew?--off. “There someone who wants to talk to you.”

“Sweet Jesus,” Daniel -- or Aaron -- or  _ whatever _ hissed under his breath.

“Showtime!” The Latino kid said, standing to his feet. The rest of the kids in the booth stared at him with the look people get when they watch someone do a dumb stunt on YouTube that they  _ know _ will end horribly.

“Libby, Pegs, Ange, Clea, this is Alexander Hayley, formerly known as--”

_ Crunch _ .

Libby was standing over Alex, who had fallen to the floor, her fists still clenched tight. Alexander looked somewhere between shocked, horrified, and amused as he tried to stop his nosebleed with the hem of his shirt.

“What happened to  _ waiting until he talks _ , Libby?” Peggy asked, trying to stifle their laugh behind their hand.

“No, no, it’s okay! If you are who I think you are, I entirely deserved that,” Alex said, his voice squeaky as he held his nose to stop the blood.

“Alex, mon ami, I believe you would’ve deserved that even if it  _ wasn’t _ who you think it is,” one of the kids from the booth said in a slight French accent.

Peggy wasn’t even trying to hide their laughter now.

Libby then turned to Daniel/Aaron/whatever. “And you are?” she asked, her voice dangerously low.

The man looked properly terrified. “Madam, I would just like to sincerely apologize for--” he said quickly, seeming to fall back on the formal language of their past lives in his moment of fear. He eyed the door as if calculating how many steps he’d need to be able to escape.  _ Good luck with that _ , was all Peggy was saying.

It didn’t help. A moment later, Daniel joined Alexander on the floor. His nose was at a weird angle and also dripping blood.

“That, uh, was a completely justified reaction, given the circumstances,” he mumbled.

“None of you fucked over my sister in the 18th century, did you?” Ange asked the three in the booth. “Or the 19th, just to stay on the safe side?” They all shook their heads so fast Peggy could  _ hear _ the whiplash.

“No ma’am. I was John Laurens, and these two were Hercules Mulligan and the Marquis de Lafayette,” a boy with curly hair and a face full of freckles said, gesturing to his two friends, “It’s Jonathan Latham, Hercules Murray, and Marie Motier de Lafayette now, though.”

“Good. It’s good to meet you,” Angie said.

Peggy was about to make a joke about ten reincarnates walking into a coffee shop when Libby started talking. “What the  _ hell _ , Alexander?” she seethed, “What the actual  _ fuck _ were you thinking? Duelling? As if we--as if we both didn’t know how that would end? As if I hadn’t already lost enough?”

“Betsey--”

“Don’t you  _ dare _ ‘Betsey’ me,” Libby growled. “And you didn’t even  _ tell me _ ! You just leave one morning and come back half-dead!” Libby continued, “For what? Your  _ honor _ ? Your  _ legacy _ ? You would put your godforsaken  _ pride _ before our family? Our children? Me?”

“Elizabeth, hear me out--”

“And you! You  _ killed my husband _ !” Libby yelled at Aaron. “Over what? Him talking shit? Have you ever  _ met _ Alexander? That’s literally  _ all he does _ ! And you  _ shot him _ . You  _ killed him _ ! You two  _ ruined _ my life, and the lives of my children. They grew up without a father because the two of you valued your  _ egos  _ more than your  _ lives _ !” By the end of her speech, Libby was red in the face and breathing quickly. She closed her eyes and tried to stabilize her breathing.

“Libby,” Clea said quietly, placing a hand on her girlfriend’s shoulder. Libby shrugged it off before turning to Parker.

“And the only reason  _ you _ aren’t on the floor next to them is because you’re a minor! Couldn’t you have put aside your petty bitterness for  _ one moment  _ to help a widow with  _ seven children _ ?” she said, her tone dangerously quiet.

Peggy turned and looked at their friend, who looked like he wanted to sink into the floor. They considered the situation for a second before backhanding Parker so hard it left a print.

“What the hell, Peggy?” Parker asked, rubbing his face.

“Sorry. Someone had to do it. We cool?” Peggy replied.

“Yeah yeah. Don’t worry about it,” Parker grumbled.

“Sweet.”

“Finally,” Libby said, looking at James, “I take it you’re Madison?”

“Yes ma’am,” James said, eyes wide and afraid.

“I would just like to thank you for all of your help during your presidency. Also, fuck you,” Libby said, and then walked over to the booth and slumped down in the seat. “I need a drink.”

“Why doesn’t Jemmy get hit?” Parker whined.

James glared at him and crossed his arms. “You’re on the couch tonight.”

“One, he actually helped my sister, the  _ grieving widow _ ,” Peggy said to Parker, and then turned to James, “Two, did you just give the couch treatment to Thomas  _ fucking  _ Jefferson?”

Parker’s visible recoil had Peggy wanting to bitch-slap  _ themself _ .

“He doesn’t really like people bringing up that name,” Hercules (at least, Peggy figured that was Hercules; they hadn’t really been paying attention to introductions) said.

“Yeah, sorry,” Peggy mumbled.

“So,” Laf (if that was Hercules, this had to be Laf) interrupted, “If we are all done assaulting each other, I believe Miss Eliza had the right idea in calling for a drink.”

“Babe, Parker and James are only, like, twelve!” Hercules said.

“Fifteen,” the two boys in question said at the same time. Alex pretended to coo.

“So? They can have coffee. I need vodka,” Laf said, laying their head on Hercules’ shoulder.

“And where do you propose we get this vodka? None of us are twenty-one” Jon pointed out from where he was helping Alex stop his nosebleed.

“My house,” Libby said, “I turned twenty-one two months ago, and we’re fully stocked.”

“I don’t know if I should support this,” Ange said dubiously.

Peggy rolled their eyes. “You totally should. You don’t even have work tomorrow, and I can drive James and Parker home. Have some  _ fun _ for once, Angie,” they drawled.

“Yeah!” Alex piped up.

“Alexander Hayley, I  _ swear _ to  _ God _ \--” Jon began.

“ _ Take a break _ , Angelica!” Alex said. Jon threw his bloody napkin at him.

“Alexander, please  _ let it die _ ,” Aaron groaned.

“I have an amazing, award-winning musical written about me. I’m not going to ‘let it die’,” Alex said, putting air quotes around the last three words. “I’m also not going to  _ let it go _ .”

Jon and Aaron shared a look full of palpable exasperation.

“It’s settled then!” Lafayette cut in, rolling their eyes so hard Peggy thought they might’ve fallen out, “We’re going to the Schuylers’ house.”

“It’s actually Scott now,” Peggy said, “I just thought I’d mention that, seeing as I don’t think we got to introduce ourselves before Libby knocked out half of the people in this cafe.”

“I’m not sorry,” Libby grumbled.

“I’m not, either. It was glorious,” Peggy said. “Anyway. That’s Ange, I believe Alexander and Burr have become  _ particularly acquainted  _ with Libby, and I’m still Peggy.” Then, as an afterthought, “Today I’m using they/them pronouns, but it’s a pretty fluid thing, so just ask if you’re not sure.”

“Nice you meet you. Again. Now let’s go get drunk,” Jon said.

“Amen!” Alex said.

“No.” Laf glared at Alex and crossed their arms. “You and Hercules aren’t drinking. Herc passes out after two beers and you have a test tomorrow. Someone here has to be responsible, and it seems Daniel is too busy trying not to get blood all over his sweater to do it. So, no. You two will  _ not _ be drinking.”

“Laaaaaf--” Alexander complained.

“Non! I refuse to listen to you bitch about being hungover during your test tomorrow. You’re having coffee.”

“Babe,” Hercules said, trying to interfere for both of their sakes, “That’s kinda harsh.”

“You… fine. Fine!” Lafayette said, “But I am not carrying your drunk ass out to the cab! And Alexander? I will not hesitate to feed you to lions in the zoo if I hear a  _ single  _ complaint tomorrow. Comprendre?”

“Yes, mom,” Alex said.

And with that, they were off.

OoOoO

Peggy had seen drunk people before. Hell, they’d  _ been _ a drunk people before. This? This was  _ nothing _ like anything Peggy had experienced before.

Herc had, as Lafayette had predicted, passed out after two and a half beers, and was aggressively spooning his partner, who was complaining loudly about this situation. Clea and Libby were making out on the couch, which wasn’t completely new, but usually, Libby’s ex-husband from a past life wasn’t shirtless with his boyfriend  _ on the same couch _ . Daniel and Ange both seemed about nine shots deep and were having a seemingly deep and intellectual conversation through nothing but sighs and eyerolls.

Meanwhile, Peggy, Parker, and James were playing flip cup with apple juice and wondering how  _ these _ people were legal adults.

“What was Alexander talking about with that ‘Hamilton’ thing earlier? He mentioned a musical,” Peggy said as they flipped their last solo cup.

Parker and James immediately groaned. “Do not  _ even _ . The man’s  _ obsessed _ !” Parker said once he was done with his own line of cups.

“I’m considering suing Lin-Manuel Miranda for ever creating the damn thing,” James grouched, “Peggy won, again, by the way. That’s, what, six times in a row?”

“Shut up, Jemmy.”

“Have either of you ever listened to it?” Peggy asked as they got the apple juice to refill for the next game. They tried to snatch the tequila from the counter, but Angelica caught them and gave them the Mom Glare™.

“No, and I don’t plan on it,” Parker said decisively, “I have better things to do than relive all of  _ that _ through Alexander’s eyes. The very idea of it terrifies me.”

“Wow, sorry to offend your delicate sensibilities, Scarlett O’Hara,” Peggy said, rolling their eyes, “What about you, Jemmy James?”

“I’ve told you not to call me that, like, 700 times. And no, I haven’t listened to it. Well, I’ve heard  _ parts _ of it. The really popular parts, y’know? The whole ‘shot shot shot, I’m hungry, shot shot shot’ thing,” James said, pushing up his massive coke bottle glasses.

Peggy shrugged. “Okay. I think I’m going to look into it. I mean, what if I’m in it? That’d be cool,” they said.

“If you become some crazy fangirl and start writing fanfiction and shit, I’m  _ not _ your friend anymore,” Parker said.

“What are you, four? ‘I’m not your friend anymore!’” Peggy teased. Parker threw a cup at her. Peggy swatted it away before it could hit them, and proceeded to look extremely impressed with themself.

James checked his watch and swore. “My dad gets home in 30 minutes and I was supposed to vacuum and clean the kitchen today,” he said, “We’ve gotta go. You’re staying at mine tonight, right sunshine?”

Peggy cooed and Parker pretended he wasn’t blushing at the casual endearment. “Sure thing, darlin’,” he stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Then grab your shit and let’s  _ go _ ,” James said, grabbing his boyfriend’s hand and dragging him down the stairs. Peggy snatched their keys off the table and rushed after them.

“Shotgun!” Parker shouted, “Kiss my ass, shithead.”

“You two are so romantic,” Peggy said sarcastically.

Parker rolled his eyes. “Jemmy turns into a southern belle if I try any sort of PDA. All, ‘My goodness!’ and ‘I do declare!’ It’s adorable,” he said, swooping down to kiss James’ forehead. James crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows.

“You just turned into a strawberry because I called you sunshine. Shut up.”

Parker blushed again and James laughed before kissing him.

“Ewwwwww!” Peggy reminded them of their presence.

Parker flipped Peggy off and they all climbed into the car and prayed they got to James’ house before Mr. Matthews did.

OoOoO

Peggy didn’t know what she was expecting when she listened to  _ Hamilton: An American Musical _ , but this… this was disappointing.

The musical itself was great, she could recognize that. The music was amazing, the story was compelling, and when she looked up the actors they seemed like genuinely good people.

However…

“And Peggy? Seriously? That’s  _ it _ ?” she asked Libby as they sat at her parents’ dinner table for Weekly Family Lunch.

“Well--”

“I am  _ offended _ ! I-I am  _ not _ just ‘ _ And Peggy _ ’! Where was I for literally the whole rest of this thing? I died young, sure, but not  _ that _ young! I could’ve been in other songs!” Peggy shouted, throwing her hands in the air. “This is a disgrace! A disappointment! A dishonor! A disservice!”

“Peggy--”

“I can _ not _ let this stand!”

“You sound like Alexander,” Libby said, throwing a roll at her sister.

Peggy looked utterly betrayed. “Ouch. Wow. Rude. Also, it’s justified. Fight me.”

“No fighting at lunch,” Ange said absentmindedly.

“Angie, back me up! I’ve gotta defend myself against this slander!” Peggy spluttered.

Ange looked up and rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say, Hamilton Junior. When this all goes to shit, don’t come crawling back to me. I’ve got work,” she said.

Peggy snorted at the unintended double reference and pulled out her phone. This disrespect would  _ not _ continue any longer.

OoOoO

_ Peggy Scott _ @BreakAPeg

@Lin_Manuel can I start out by saying what the fuck. What. The. Fuck. I??? Did not die??? For this??? I wasn’t reincarnated for this???

_ Peggy Scott _ @BreakAPeg

@Lin_Manuel I did not have a tomahawk thrown at my head to be ‘And Peggy’. That, frankly, is bullshit, and I’m offended. #justiceforpeggy

_ Peggy Scott _ @BreakAPeg

@Lin_Manuel Also, I could totally rap better than Angelica, or at least James Madison. What the hell, man? #justiceforpeggy

_ James Matthews _ @JemmyJamesM

@BreakAPeg please stop. 

_ Peggy Scott _ @BreakAPeg

@Lin_Manuel @JemmyJamesM NEVER. #justiceforpeggy

_ Lin-Manuel Miranda _ @Lin_Manuel

@BreakAPeg Im sorry if I offended you thats not what I intended

Pls remember I had a time limit & had to make tough choices

Also who are you?

_ Peggy Scott _ @BreakAPeg

@Lin_Manuel Margaret Liana Scott. You’d know me better as Peggy Schuyler.

Not ‘And Peggy’ #justiceforpeggy

OoOoO

Predictably, Peggy’s Twitter blew up after her virtual rampage.

Within five hours from Peggy’s controversial tweet, the majority of Twitter seemed to have divided itself into four categories: the Believe Peggy camp, the Peggy Is An Attention-Seeking Liar camp, the Peggy Is Delusional camp, and the Hey Maybe Let’s Ask A Historian Before Passing Judgement camp (affectionately nicknamed the Aaron Burr camp by the fans). To the surprise of no one except maybe Chris Christie, Donald Trump was in the Peggy Is An Attention-Seeking Liar camp – though his own words were somewhat less refined.

There were people who were confused, who thought that Peggy had miswritten. There were some who called her delusional. There were those who called her statement into question by reminding the world that reincarnation was not, in fact, a scientifically proven phenomenon. There were even the odd Hamilton fans who were willing to believe this virtual stranger on Twitter and were on the verge of idolizing Peggy.

And then there were those who were just leaning back and watching the chaos unfold.

Unfortunately, Alex wasn’t one of the latter kind. He took one look at the president’s tweet and saw  _ red _ .

OoOoO

_ Alex Hayley _ @hasneverchilled

@realDonaldTrump YOU HONESTLY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE SAYING ARE YOU? YOU IGNORANT ASSHOLE. DO SOME ACTUAL RESEARCH BEFORE SPEAKING. (1/7)

_ Alex Hayley _ @hasneverchilled

@realDonaldTrump AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON YOUR MANAGEMENT SKILLS, WHICH ARE NON-EXISTENT. (2/7)

_ Alex Hayley _ @hasneverchilled

@realDonaldTrump YOU WOULD RUIN THIS COUNTRY AND LITERALLY BURN IT TO THE GROUND, FOR WHAT? TO PROVE YOU COULD? FOR YOUR PRIDE? (3/7)

_ Alex Hayley _ @hasneverchilled

@realDonaldTrump TO BE PUTIN'S LITTLE BITCH? I CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE COUNTRY I FOUGHT AND BLED FOR TO CREATE. (4/7)

_ Daniel Barnes _ @daniel_barnes

@hasneverchilled Continuing your streak of terrible ideas, I see.

_ Alex Hayley _ @hasneverchilled

@realDonaldTrump I DID NOT DEDICATE MY LIFE TO CREATING A FUNCTIONING DEMOCRACY JUST TO SEE IT FALL APART IN YOUR TINY TINY HANDS (5/7)

_ Alex Hayley _ @hasneverchilled

@realDonaldTrump AND YES, SMALL HANDS DO MEAN THAT YOU HAVE A SMALL DICK. THIS ISN'T WHAT I SACRIFICED MY FAMILY, MY LIFE, AND MY REPUTATION FOR. (6/7)

_ Alex Hayley _ @hasneverchilled

@realDonaldTrump YOU, MR CLOWNSTICK VON FUCKFACE, ARE A DISGRACE TO THE AMERICAN NATION. (7/7)

_ Donald J. Trump _ @realDonaldTrump

Losers such as @hasneverchilled use me for publicity for themselves. They are totally third rate. Sad!

_ Alex Hayley _ @hasneverchilled

@realDonaldTrump That's funny, seeing as I created the means for your success. 

_ Alex Hayley _ @hasneverchilled

@realDonaldTrump Alexander Hamilton, first Secretary of the Treasury, creator of Wall Street & the National Bank, completely NOT at your service. Fuck off.

_ Daniel Barnes  _ @daniel_barnes

@hasneverchilled What the fuck have you done.

OoOoO

If Peggy thought there was a shit storm after  _ her _ tweets, it was nothing compared to the  _ shit tsunami _ that occurred after  _ Alexander’s _ tweets. It seemed as if the entire internet blew up, all at once.  _ Everyone _ wanted to know if this was the  _ real _ Alexander Hamilton, and they were all determined to find out for themselves. Alex was @’d at least 2,000 times a day for a  _ week _ . America was in a frenzy. Alexander could barely walk down the street without being mobbed.

Even Peggy was getting a decent chunk of attention. The people at her school were constantly asking questions about whether or not she was  _ actually _ Peggy Schuyler. A good handful of people had actually started a fan club for her. Its crest was a tomahawk.

It was  _ exhausting _ . 

“I told you,  _ don’t  _ drag me into this,” Ange said as Peggy flopped down into her lap.

“But Aaaaaaange!” Peggy whined.

“No. You’re the one who went and Alexander’d this whole situation in the first place. You broke it,  _ you’re  _ buying it,” Angelica said, glaring at her. “You're on your own in this.”

“And  _ you’re  _ an asshole. Can’t you see I’m suffering?” Peggy complained.

“That sounds like a you problem. Besides, at least you can leave the house. Daniel told me he’s been having to get Alexander’s coffee in the morning because Alex has become a reclusive hermit,” Ange said.

Peggy huffed. “He didn’t  _ have  _ to butt into this. It was  _ my _ fight, not his.”

“And since when has that ever stopped Alexander?” Angelica retorted.

Peggy rolled her eyes, then rolled off the couch. “I’m dying!” she exclaimed dramatically.

"I've seen more people die than I'd like. Believe me, you're far from dying,” Libby said as she entered the living room, Clea following her with a bag of popcorn. “Anyhow, maybe you should’ve thought about that  _ before _ you pulled an Alexander.”

Clea snorted. “I’m so glad this is my first trip around the block,” she said, “You guys have drama for  _ days _ .”

“We didn’t until Alexander showed back up,” Libby said, slumping down on the couch. “He’s just a trouble magnet. Always has been,” Her mouth twisted into something between a smile and a grimace. Peggy wasn't sure what to make of it.

Apparently, neither did Clea. “You guys had a weird relationship,” she said, wrapping her arm around Libby’s shoulders.

“Pft. Tell me about it,” Libby replied, “Actually, don’t. I’ve had enough discussions about Alexander for one day. My vote is we watch Force Awakens again and then argue over fan theories. Sound good?”

“Yeah!” Peggy shouted enthusiastically. Lord knows she needed a distraction.

They were about halfway through the movie when Peggy’s phone  _ exploded _ . 

“What’s going on? Is everything alright? Did someone get hurt?” Libby asked as Peggy scrolled through her notifications.

“Everyone’s fine,” Peggy muttered, her eyes wide with shock as she read.

“Well then what’s going on?” Ange asked, pausing the movie.

“I… Apparently.” Peggy took a deep breath. “Apparently, I’ve been  _ invited _ to see Hamilton by  _ Lin-Manuel Miranda _ .”

“What?!” Libby said loudly, leaning over to see Peggy’s phone screen.

“Me and Alex both. He wants to see if we’re, like, legit or something.”

“Holy  _ shit _ , Pegs!” Clea said, “You have to go!”

“No,” Angelica cut in, “She doesn’t. This could turn out  _ very  _ badly. If he decides he believes her, things are going to get even more insane. We’ll lose any  _ semblance _ of privacy.”

“But it’d be so cool!” Clea said.

“It’s a  _ terrible  _ idea!”

“You can’t just turn down a  _ free offer _ to see Hamilton  _ with Lin-Manuel Miranda _ !”

“Actually, you absolutely can. You just say ‘No, thank you.’”

“Hey!” Libby yelled over the growing shouting match, “It’s Peggy’s decision. Let her make her own choice.”

“Thank you, Libby,” Peggy said, “This is why you’re my favorite sister. Anyways, I’m going. Even if I don’t, Alexander will, and him being by himself would be  _ drastically worse _ than anything that could happen if I’m there with him.”

“But--” Angelica began to interrupt.

“I’ll be smart about it, Ange. Don’t worry. I won’t accidentally out everyone we know,” Peggy reassured.

“Fine,” Ange grumbled, “Can we get back to the movie?”

Everyone agreed that sounded pretty great, and they finished the film with no more interruptions.

OoOoO

“Jon, do I look okay?” Alexander asked for the 27th time as they pulled up outside Richard Rodgers Theatre.

“Yes, Alex, you look wonderful. Your hair isn’t frizzy, there aren’t any stains on your tie, your socks match, all your buttons are still on your coat. You’re  _ fine _ ,” Jon said, rolling his eyes affectionately.

“What if I make an ass of myself?” Alexander asked.

Peggy laughed. “Knowing you? You probably will. It’ll be great,” they said.

“That’s not reassuring,” Alexander pouted.

“It’ll be okay, sweetheart. You’re not meeting the queen,” Jon said, kissing his boyfriend quickly.

“This is  _ more important _ than the stupid British Monarchy,” Alex huffed.

“Sure, okay. I love you. Now go,” Jon said, kissing Alexander quickly before pushing him out of the car. Peggy got out after and rolled their eyes.

“I will never understand couples,” they muttered. 

They did, however, understand Alexander’s nerves. They’d spent an hour this morning trying to pick out what to wear, which was 59 minutes and 45 seconds longer than usual. They’d nearly paced a hole in the floor of their bedroom. They’d broken four hair ties before they finally got all their hair into a bun. They’d rehearsed what they were going to say until it didn’t even sound like words anymore. They’d then spent the whole ride to Alex’s dorm trying to appear calm, cool, and collected.

“So… what do we do now?” Peggy asked, stuffing their hands in the pockets of their dress pants.

“We’re supposed to meet him here in about five minutes,” Alex said, shuffling from foot to foot.

“You can say his name, Alex. He’s not Voldemort,” Jon sighed.

“What do I  _ call him _ ? I-I can’t call him Lin! We’re not on that level! But Mr. Miranda sounds like a 43 year old accountant, and full-naming him is just weird!”

“Well,  _ Miranda _ is always a safe bet,” said a voice from behind them. Alex and Peggy turned around and came face to face with the show’s playwright himself. He offered a hand. “Lin-Manuel Miranda,” he glanced between them searchingly, as if something in their looks could confirm their identities. “Sorry, I’m a bit early. Groffsauce – that’s Jon Groff, plays George III in this musical – said he’d be late, but he was early for once,” he smiled.

“Holy shit on a biscuit,” Peggy muttered as Alex took Lin’s hand and shook it with all the force of a hyperactive earthquake.

“I’m, uh, I’m Alexander Hayley,” he said, “I’m a huge fan. Like, wow. You’re excellent! A genius! Your work is impeccable, and I’m not just saying that because it’s about me! No, it’s amazing even from a completely objective viewpoint--”

“Alex!” Peggy shouted.

“Yes?”

“You’re rambling. Pipe down,” Peggy said, much to Lin’s amusement.

“If you are who you say you are, that’s quite the compliment, Mr. Hayley,” Lin said, a massive grin on his face.

“Alex, please,” Alex replied cheerfully. “I refuse to go by Mr. Hayley before thirty. Besides, you've more than earned it.”

“In that case, call me Lin,” Lin said with a smile--Peggy doubted he ever stopped smiling--veggie holding out his hand to Peggy.

“Peggy Scott?” he asked, “I hope I haven't offended you so much that you can't shake my hand.”

Peggy wasn't too offended. “That's me,” they said with a smile. “Thank you for inviting us.”

“It's no problem. What can I say, I was curious,” Lin replied.

“Curious?” Alex asked. Peggy wanted to smack him. For a genius, he really was an idiot.

“About whether or not we're telling the truth, dumbass,” they said.

Lin laughed. “Pretty much,” he said.

“We're not lying,” Alexander said, immediately defensive.

Lin narrowed his eyes and looked them over again.

This, apparently, was enough skepticism to set Alex off.

“Alexander Hamilton, son of Rachel Faucette and James Hamilton. Born in Charlestown, Nevis, in 1757. Bastard with one brother, James Hamilton, whom I was separated from following my cousin's suicide. My father left us when I was ten, my mother died of a fever when I was twelve, by which point we were living in St. Croix. I was put into my cousin's custody until his death, at which point I was passed on to Thomas Stevens, who ran a trading company…”

Alexander continued for another two minutes before Peggy yelled, “Enough! Oh my  _ God _ , enough. If I wanted your biography, I’d go check out Chernow’s book!”

“But--”

“Zip. It. Or I will castrate you. Do  _ not _ test me, Alexander Hayley. I've waited 200 years to do it, and  _ I will not hesitate _ ,” they ordered.

Lin looked between the two of them in utter confusion.

“I…” he started, “I'm pretty sure I believe you.”

“Oh, yippee,” Peggy said, rolling their eyes. “I'm so happy. You believing us is  _ totally  _ worth all those brain cells that died while I listened to Alex recount his entire fucking life story.”

“You're about to go see a musical about my life story. Shut up,” Alexander said, and Peggy kicked him.

“Holy fuck,” Lin said, “It's you!”

“I thought we established that,” Alex said.

“Alexander Hamilton.  _ Actual Alexander Hamilton _ .”

“Yes.”

“The ten-dollar founding father--”

“Without a father,” Alex finished with a shit-eating grin. “Yeah.”

“Holy  _ fucking _ shit!” Lin said, practically bouncing with excitement. “And you like it? ‘Hamilton’, I mean. You like it?”

Alexander became serious in a way Peggy had rarely seen him. “It’s wonderful,” he said sincerely, “It wasn’t what I was expecting, in the best way possible.”

Lin looked as if he was about to cry.

“Okay, gentlemen. Enough mushy gushy fanboy-ing,” Peggy said, mostly because this situation was making them incredibly uncomfortable.

Lin and Alexander blushed at the same time, and Peggy almost wanted to take a photo.

“So,” Lin said after a moment of awkward silence. “Peggy Schuyler?”

Peggy rolled their eyes. “In the flesh,” they said.

“Did you really get a tomahawk thrown at your head?” Lin asked.

“I’ve been wondering about that, too,” Alex chimed in.

“Far as I can tell, yeah. Fun times,” Peggy said sarcastically. 

They were playing ‘aloof and distant’, but in all honesty, Peggy was three steps from a melt down. _Lin-Manuel Miranda_ _was_ _in front of them_. As much as Peggy was offended by the whole ‘And Peggy’ debacle, they couldn’t deny how _fucking great_ this musical was.

“Wow,” Lin said.

“Yeah, I’m pretty badass,” Peggy said with a shrug, going for ‘completely nonchalant’, though they probably ended up looking more like ‘constipated penguin’.

Lin pulled a face. “Yeah…” he said, scratching the back of his head.

“Enough about me,” Peggy said, “Don’t we have a show to see?”

OoOoO

Peggy was sat between the two men, and made a point to glare at Lin every time someone said, ‘and Peggy’. She also death-stared him for the entirety of Take A Break,  _ especially _ during ‘Angelica! Eliza! The Schuyler sisters’. “I was alive, you know,” they whispered. “I died in 1801. That’s only three years before Alexander.”

Lin had the good manners to look properly scolded.

OoOoO

Peggy really wished she was sitting by literally  _ anyone else _ other than Alex. It made being angry at him  _ really hard _ .

Here Peggy was, trying to be  _ utterly pissed _ at Alexander during Say No To This (and most of Act II, really), and the asshole had the nerve to look  _ ashamed _ . Positively  _ contrite _ .

It was fucking difficult to hate Alex when he was gripping his armrests like a Mufasa gripping that damn cliff and muttering apologies under his breath.

It was even more difficult when Peggy saw how completely at peace he was with his own death, almost as if he believed it was  _ justified _ , which it fucking was  _ not _ .

The most difficult moment was when they saw the silent tears sliding down his face once the lights came up.

“So, what did you thi--oh,” Lin said when he saw Alexander’s face.

“It’s fine. I mean, I’m fine. The show is incredible. Even better the second time. Ah, fuck,” Alex muttered, wiping his eyes.

“You’ve already seen it?” Lin asked.

“Yeah, a few months back. Did I, uh, forget to mention that?”

Peggy rolled their eyes. “Yeah you did, idiot,” they said, digging in their messenger bag and pulling out a pack of tissues, which they handed to Alexander.

“Thanks,” he said with a weak smile.

“No problem, Hayley,” Peggy said.

So it seemed Alex had changed, after all.

“So, uh, Lin, do you wanna meet everyone else?”

Aaaaand, Peggy spoke too soon.

“The others?” Lin asked.

“No!” Peggy said. “No no no. Noooooo. No. You,” they said, rounding on Alex, “Shut up. There are no  _ others _ .”

“I’m pretty sure you just confirmed there are others, Pegs,” Alexander said. Peggy groaned and covered their face with their hands.

“Literally this was the  _ one _ thing we weren’t supposed to do,” Peggy said, “We weren’t supposed to out them, and then--ugh. You are impossible. Just when I almost liked you again. I swear.”

“So there are others?” Lin said, looking like a kid on Christmas.

Peggy smiled at Alexander. “I dunno, Alex, are there?” they asked. Alexander made this bed, and he’d be the one to lay in it.

“Yes…” Alex mumbled.

“Can I meet them?” Lin asked excitedly.

Peggy glared at Alexander. “I’m  _ not _ going to be the one to tell Ange and Daniel that you outed everyone. You ask,” they said.

“Technically--”

“No. Text Daniel and ask. I’m going to get myself a Pepsi and wish it was something stronger,” Peggy said.

They were handing over the money for their soda when their phone blew up.

_ Ma’am Yes Ma’am: _

**Margaret Liana Scott.**

**You had literally one job.**

**DON’T LET ALEXANDER RUN HIS GODDAMN MOUTH.**

**If this was your job, and you did it, why does Lin-Manuel Miranda want to meet us?**

_ Captain Peg Leg: _

**funny story**

**IT'S ALL ALEXANDER’S FAULT**

**THAT ASSHOLE MADE ME LET MY GUARD DOWN BY BEING REMORSEFUL AND SORRY AND SHIT**

**AND THEN HE OUTED YOU GUYS**

**I’M INNOCENT I TELL YOU**

**I N N O C E N T**

_ Libbamon Bun: _

**I hate you**

_ Captain Peg Leg: _

**please don’t feed me too ange i’m too young to die**

Peggy marched back into the theatre. “Ange is  _ very  _ unhappy. Do you know how scary she is? She’s gonna kill me!” they said, smacking Alexander’s shoulder.

“Ange?” Lin asked, “Like Angelica? Your sister?”

“Yup,” Peggy said, “Who is now also on a fucking  _ rampage  _ because someone couldn’t  _ keep their mouth shut _ .”

“Oh,” Lin said, “Yeah. You fucked up, man. I’d be scared, too.”

“Hello darkness, my old friend,” Alex muttered, looking up at the ceiling.

“That meme is  _ dead _ . Just like you’ll be soon,” Peggy said. Alexander threw a tissue at them.

“You guys aren’t really what I was expecting,” Lin said.

“Sorry about that. Alex is actually five. Most of the time we have Daniel or Jon to keep him on a leash, but  _ not today _ . No, today  _ I _ had to be babysitter,” Peggy groaned.

“Speaking of Daniel,” Alexander said, “He said, and I quote, ‘You’ve already fucked it up, might as well go all the way,’ which is his way of saying it’s fine to introduce you to the guys. He, uh, does also ask that we keep this on the DL. Me and Pegs are already kinda swamped by people, and everyone else kinda… doesn’t want that.”

“Awesome!” Lin said, “Who’s Daniel?”

“Oh!” Alex said, “Uh, he’s Aaron Burr. Doesn’t really like that, though, so he usually goes by Daniel. The only people who even call him Aaron are me and Doddie. Theo.”

“Wait,” Lin interrupted, “You guys are, like, friends?”

“Yup!” Alexander said cheerfully.

“ _ Really _ ?”

“No need to sound so surprised. All that,” Alex waved at the stage, “Is water under the bridge, y’know?”

“Not really, no,” Lin admitted.

Alexander grimaced. “Well, then this is going to be  _ quite _ the experience for you, buddy.”

“What does  _ that _ mean?” Lin asked.

Peggy rolled their eyes. “My best friends are James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, who are dating. Also,  _ don’t  _ call Parker ‘Thomas’. He doesn’t appreciate it.”

Lin blinked rapidly. “What the hell?”

“Pretty much. C’mon, might as well get this over with.”

OoOoO

To say people were unhappy was a gross understatement.

“Here they are,” Laf said when they entered Cool Beans (because where else did they hang out, honestly), “The connards who can not keep a single secret.”

“Alex, get over here so that I can strangle you,” Ange ordered. She sighed. “I honestly begin to sympathize with Daniel.”

“Almost makes you wonder how he made it to 47/49 before being shot,” Jemmy chimed in, squeezing Parker's hand in support.

Alex glared at the group. “I’m feeling so  _ attacked _ right now,” he pouted..

“I wonder the fuck why, shithead,” Jon said, crossing his arms.

“Wow, what a supportive boyfriend,” Alexander grumbled. “I feel so appreciated.”

Jon’s face didn't soften. “I love you, but you're an asshole with exactly zero impulse control.”

“Ouch,” Peggy muttered under their breath. “Looks like someone is getting the couch treatment tonight.”

They regretted their words as soon as they had left their mouth. Everyone’s eyes immediately snapped towards them. Lin stood off on the side, glancing between the people awkwardly, trying to glean their identities.

“What the hell, Peggy?” Libby said coldly.

“I--”

“Literally  _ what the fuck _ . You were supposed to  _ prevent _ this,” Jemmy said, throwing his hands in the air and bringing one of Parker’s with him.

“Why were they the one we sent on babysitting duty?” Hercules asked, “They have almost as little self-control as Alex.”

“Because they had already fucked up and told the world who they were,” Angelica replied immediately, almost as if having rehearsed it.

“Because I was the one invited, you dickwads!” Peggy shouted at the same time. “Jesus Christ on a motherfucking graham cracker!”

“Hey!” Hercules said, “Don’t disrespect graham crackers like that!”

“Everyone  _ shut up _ ,” Daniel ordered sternly. “For once, let's pretend that we aren't six year olds.”

“Alex is five,” Parker immediately protested.

“Shut up,” Alexander argued, “What are  _ you _ , twelve?”

“Aaaaand I rest my case. Thanks for proving my point, jerk,” Parker snapped back.

“What is going on?” Lin whispered to Peggy.

“Everyone is roasting Alex. It’s sort of a tradition at this point,” they whispered back before shouting, “Hey! We have a fucking Tony winner over here--”

“So what? Two of us were presidents,” Alex shrugged.

“Neither of which was you,” Angelica retorted, “so don't get all cocky.”

“--who wants to meet us!” Peggy went on, ignoring the argument. “Stow your shit! Mr. Miranda, you have the floor, sir.”

Daniel groaned. “Et tu, Brutus?”

“Lin is talking! Hush!”

Lin glanced at everyone in turn. “I have to admit,” he began, “that you're not really what I imagined when Alexander said that there were ‘others’, but I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume this isn't a prank.”

“Nah,” Laf said offhandedly. “His pranks are of the more,  _ qu’est-ce que c’est le mot _ ?”

“Gay?” Jon suggested.

Laf shrugged. “ _ Oui _ , gay kind.”

“Guys!” Libby glowered at them. “Would you please stay calm for once instead of flying off the handle?”

Lin bit his lip to keep from smiling at the reference. “So I'm assuming you're Angelica?” he asked, pointing at Ange, who straightened her back.

“What gave it away?” she asked curiously.

“Everyone is scared of you,” Herc deadpanned.

Lin nodded in agreement, then looked around, his eyes settling on Laf. “And you must be Lafayette,” he continued.

Laf grinned. “Very good! Marie Motier de Lafayette, at your pleasure.”

“ _ Service _ , Laf,” Jon hissed. “It's ‘at your service’, not ‘at your pleasure’.”

“They know,” Hercules muttered, swatting his partner’s shoulder, “Asshole.”

“Ouais. I'm not an idiot. My English is better than yours.”

Lin quirked an eyebrow. “As lovely as that sounds, I'll have to decline,” he said politely.

“See?” Peggy gestured at Lin. “People _ do _ learn from Alex’s example.”

Alexander cringed. “Uh, yeah. I’m a fucking cautionary tale. Right there next to the Three Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood,” he said, “Alexander and the Shitty Sex Scandal.”

Jon choked on his coffee, and Libby thumped him on the back, which drew Lin’s attention to the two of them. “I’m guessing you’re Eliza?” he said, to Libby, who nodded and smiled.

“Yes sir. Libby Scott, actually. And, uh, thank you very much for all you've done. You succeeded in what I spent the greater portion of my life trying to do. Even if Alexander is a bit of an idiotic pain in the ass, what you did for him is exactly what I worked to do,” she said.

“I’m both touched and offended,” Alex muttered under his breath.

Peggy smacked his arm. “No one asked  _ you _ , dickstick,” they said, “Now shush and let the man speak.”

“And you’re…” Lin said, pointing at Jon, who grinned lopsidedly. “John Laurens?”

“You know it!” Jon said, “Jonathan Latham, but Jon is fine. How’d you tell?”

“You’re Alex’s boyfriend, and I…”

Peggy patted Lin’s shoulder. “You know about their tragic love story and you assumed. Don’t worry. They’re just as cliché as you think,” they said.

“I resent that statement,” Jon said, “We’re not cliché!”

“Babe. Babe. The only thing that separates us from shitty romcoms is I’m not white and we’re gay,” Alexander said. He’d somehow appeared at Jon’s side at some point during this exchange and was resting his head on Jon’s shoulder.

Jon shoved him away after a moment. “Fuck off!” he said, “I’m pissed at you, don’t come cuddling up to me.”

Alex scowled and crossed his arms.

Lin snorted and continued. “So… you two are Madison an--”

“ _ Yes _ ,” James said quickly, squeezing Parker’s hand. “I’m James. This is Parker. Good to meet you. Moana is amazing.”

Parker looked eternally grateful that James jumped that gun.

“Thanks,” Lin said, smiling at the pair, “And you two are dating?”

“Yeah,” Parker said, his face turning red. “We’re all gay. Except for Daniel.”

Lin laughed again. “The founders of our country are a bunch of queer college kids of color,” he said.

“That about sums it up, oui,” Laf said.

“Actually, Ange is working at a law firm here in the city, and Peggy, Parker, and James are in high school,” Libby said.

“Damn, Libs, why you gotta expose us?” Peggy asked.

Libby shrugged and said, “Last I checked, you were the one  _ exposing _ us. Turnabout is fair play, short stack.”

A chorus of ‘ooooooooh’s broke out in the cafe. “Fucking  _ ice cold _ !” Jon said

“Who said Libby was the sweet one?” Hercules asked.

“Just because I don’t usually shred people doesn’t mean I can’t. Usually, I just leave the poor decisions to Alexander,” Libby said with a grin.

“Man, you got  _ destroyed _ ,” Parker cackled. “Wow. This is glorious.”

“Oh yeah?” Alexander asked, “Maybe you should take notes. Lord knows you couldn’t win an argument with a brick wall.”

“Mhmm. Sure. I’m pretty sure there are a couple of things in history that prove you wrong on that one, pal,” Parker said, and James smiled at him and kissed his cheek.

Lin looked at Peggy and raised an eyebrow. “Parker usually can’t really get into that stuff. The past and all that. They’re, uh, not great memories, all things considered,” Peggy explained. “The fact that he just laid Alex out like that and didn’t even stutter is pretty impressive.”

Lin nodded and furrowed his eyebrows before nodding as if he’d just come up with some genius plan -- which, as this was fucking  _ Lin-Manuel Miranda _ , wasn’t  _ that  _ far-fetched.

“That leaves you two,” he said pointing to Daniel and Hercules, “And just based off of something as shallow as relationships, I’m gonna say  _ you _ ,” he turned to Herc, “Are Hercules Mulligan.”

“Yup. I’m Hercules Murray. Alex has had me listen to some of the Hamilton stuff. And while I do  _ love _ the whole Busta Rhymes thing, I gotta ask,” Herc said, and Lin closed his eyes as if he knew what was coming, “why do you make it out like I fuck horses? Cos I, like, totally don’t.”

Lin sighed. “I-I-I--That’s so  _ not _ what I was implying, and everyone thinks it is,” he said, holding his hands up in a mercy gesture.

“Okay. Just, like, making sure. Because I  _ don’t _ , and Alex won’t stop making stupid horse jokes all the time and I swear I’m gonna throttle the kid,” Hercules said, wrapping an arm around Laf’s shoulder. 

“Sorry about that,” Lin said, before looking over at Daniel. “And that leaves you. You must be Daniel. Peggy and Alex have told me about you.”

“Daniel Barnes, sir. I’m sure Alexander has explained our, uh,  _ history _ ,” Daniel said, as stoic and polite as always.

Lin nodded. “I’m not going to say I wasn’t surprised to hear about that,” he said.

“Most people are. It’s perfectly fine,” Daniel said with a tight-lipped smile.

“I’m sorry about him,” Alexander said, “He’s still suffering from a very serious case of stick-up-the-butt. Sadly, the only cure seems to be Theodosia, and she’s at work.”

Daniel rolled his eyes and flipped Alex off.

“So is that everyone? You guys and Theodosia?” Lin asked.

Daniel and Alexander shared a look before saying, “Yes!” at the exact same time.

“That, my friends, sounded incredibly suspicious, but seeing as we have company, I will spare you from interrogation,” Lafayette said, narrowing their eyes at the two, “As far we know, Mr. Miranda, this is all the people reincarnated from our time.”

“Call me Lin,” Lin said, “And… this is  _ amazing _ . You guys are amazing.”

“Thanks,” Jon said with a grin. “Sorry we couldn’t meet under better circumstances.”

“No no, this is great! Could I maybe, like, ask you guys some questions?” Lin said.

Peggy looked around. Nobody seemed overly adverse. “I don’t see a problem with that,” they said.

“You also don’t see a problem in outing yourself to the whole world via Twitter rants,” Ange said.

“Would you let it go, Angie? It’s done,” Peggy said.

“Fine. And I’m sure we can answer your questions, Lin,” Angelica replied.

Lin looked like a kid in a candy store.

OoOoO

After about an hour of questions, people started trickling out. First was Ange, who had to get some sleep because she had work the next day. Libby went with her so she wouldn’t have to pay a cab fare later. Daniel went to the back of the shop to “take inventory”. Hercules and Laf said they were “tired”, which led to several innuendos being shouted at them as they left the cafe. Finally, it was just Alex, Jon, Peggy, and Jemmy and Parker who couldn’t leave because Peggy was their ride.

“So you two were really together? Back then?” Lin asked Alexander and Jon, who grinned at each other.

“I mean, as much as two guys could be together back then,” Jon said.

Alex, who’d finally been allowed to snuggle up next to Jon, nodded. “Ye-aaaaaah,” he said, yawning through the word, “I dunno why everyone still questions it. I get that John burned a lot of our letters, the little traitor, but we were still pretty much the opposite of subtle.”

Lin smiled. “Ha! Groff owes me $20!” he said.

“You guys bet on whether or not they were banging?” Parker asked, “How’d you plan on proving that?”

“We didn’t, not really,” Lin admitted. “It was just a thing we did when we were bored. But now…” he trailed off.

Alexander yawned again. “Glad we could make you a buck,” he said, kissing Jon’s cheek.

“Okay, we’re going home before you fall asleep in this booth,” Jon said, picking Alex up bridal style.

“What? No! Put me down! Jon!” Alexander said.

“Nope, sorry. We’re leaving. Lin, it’s been great meeting you. Pegs, get these two home before one, okay? I'm scared of Parker's mom. You two, make sure Peggy doesn’t accidentally kill anyone with her car. Night,” Jon said before literally carrying Alex out of the coffee shop.

Parker got a picture of them on their way out. 

“Why do you still do that? Mock him and shit?” Peggy asked him, “I thought you guys were cool now.”

“We are,” Parker said, “He’s just super easy to annoy, and he’s fucking hilarious when he’s all riled up.”

“You’re so mean,” James said, leaning back against Parker’s chest.

“Part of the charm, darlin’,” Parker said.

“You know, you two are always called, like, the Ultimate Power Couple of American Politics, but I never thought you guys would be an actual couple,” Lin said.

“I didn’t even know who he was when I started liking him. I just thought he was the obnoxious hot guy I went to school with,” James replied.

Parker looked hurt. “Obnoxious? Jemmy, you wound me,” he said. James rolled his eyes.

“Diva. Literally, the first thing you said to me was ‘welcome to hell’.”

“I’ve got a flair for the dramatic!”

“You’ve got a flair for being an asshole.”

“Hey, stop with the foreplay. My virgin eyes don’t need this,” Peggy said, making Lin and the other two boys laugh. “Speaking of, where am I dropping you two off tonight?”   
  


“My place,” Parker said, “Charlotte, Annabelle, and Alice are all at friends’ houses, so we don’t have to worry about them barging in whenever they feel like it.”   
  


“Oh God,  _ ew _ !” Peggy shouted, throwing a sugar packet at the two of them. “I did  _ not _ need that image in my head!”

“My God, Peggy, not like that! My  _ mom _ is still home!” Parker shrieked.

James just looked horrified. “They always walk in while we’re in the middle of playing Halo and then we can’t finish our game,” he said.

“Sure, ya nasties,” Peggy said.

Lin was still snickering.

“C’mon, we’re leaving. I need to get away from you two,” Peggy said, grabbing their bag.

“Hey,” Lin said, “Parker, can I talk to you a sec?”

Parker nodded and he and Lin went over to another booth.

“What’s this about?” James asked.

“No clue, man,” Peggy said.

About five minutes later, Parker wrapped Lin up in a hug. “What happened?” Peggy asked James.

“I dunno!” James said, “I don't have super hearing!”

“So, you lovebirds ready to head out?” Peggy asked as Parker walked back over to them.

“Yeah,” Parker said with a smile.

“What was that?” James asked.

“Nothing. Don’t worry, darlin’,” Parker said, kissing James’ head.

“It’s been wonderful meeting you all,” Lin said a moment later. “Really. This is crazy and amazing and-- _ wow _ .”

“Trust me, the pleasure was ours,” Peggy said. Parker winked at them. Peggy swatted him with their bag.

They all said the rest of their goodbyes, Lin hailed a cab, and Peggy, James, and Parker all climbed into Peggy’s car.

“Are you seriously not going to tell us about your super secret conversation?” James asked.

“Nope,” Parker said with a smirk, cuddling up to his boyfriend, who huffed but rested his head against Parker’s shoulder.

Peggy gagged and drove them to Parker’s house.

OoOoO

Peggy thought things would calm down soon and everything would go back to the way it was. And while she and Alex stopped getting hounded on the street, things didn’t go back to “normal”. 

Peggy constantly got questions about being a Schuyler, about the revolution, about being a reincarnation, about anything, really. Teachers, especially history and government teachers, expected more out of her (as if that made  _ any  _ sense; women weren’t  _ allowed _ to be educated in government, and Peggy knew just as much as her peers). Anything she posted  _ anywhere _ was flooded comments that read ‘and Peggy’.

It was annoying, but Peggy dealt.

Things could be worse. She could be Alexander.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow! This is Super Long! Yikes! Did you guys like it? What do you want to see coming up? Tell me, please!


End file.
